A.F.Branco

Branco describes himself as “somewhere between the Far Side and the right side of every issue.” He sits at his desk daily crafting comically and politically-incorrect cartoons that say with humorous satire what conservatives really think, but lack the opportunity to say to a broad audience. After years of listening to the squeaky wheel of the left advancing the cause of radicalism, Branco decided to use the power of his bully palette to advance the conservative movement. Conservatives worldwide can be glad he did. According to Branco, “The art and humor of political cartoons has since the dawn of the Republic been a way to sway those who might not otherwise be persuaded.”

As a political cartoonist, Branco joins a long line of notables who have used humorous satire to drive in the nail without breaking the board on political issues. There is something about the human psyche that makes humor an effective means—often the most effective means—of making a point, revealing political hypocrisy, or pointing out falsehoods. The most famous political cartoonist of them all, Thomas Nast, helped bring down the corrupt Boss Tweed organization that had long controlled and manipulated New York politics. His razor-sharp satire and ability to create contextual allusions turned out to be more powerful than even the once all-powerful Boss Tweed. But even before there was Thomas Nast, there was Benjamin Franklin, America’s first political cartoonist. Franklin’s “Join or Die” cartoon in which the severed parts of a snake depict the original colonies is widely acknowledged as the first political cartoon in America.